The members of the 32nd return to Avanzada Seca as conquering heroes. No parades are thrown and no crowds gather to meet them, but word of their battle with the Raptor King and the shadow beast spreads through the town quickly, and signs of the sickness that has beset them for so long begin to fade.

For the first time in months, no new cases of the illness are reported, and those who have already fallen ill seem miraculously to recover. Even Ma’arlys and the other hunters and trackers report that game is beginning to return to the surrounding area, though that process is slow going, given the number of dead.

Raising the Fort

When you return home, you find Ed and one of his mechanics hard at work in the building that had been cleared out for your dormitory. A decently sized storage area has been cleared out and work tables have been set up. Ed sees you come in, and gives a broad smile. “Me and the boys had some spare benches back at the shop and figured you all could use a proper work room. As I said, you are all welcome to use my tools next door any time you need em; just bring them back when you’re done. We’ve got good overhead lights we are putting in, too, along with a couple of bells and whistles. It isn’t much, but it’s a lot better than working out of the back of one of those vehicles you seem to bust up so often.”

Note: Your base of operations has been upgraded with a workshop. Any characters working in the shop will get a +2 to their Repair or device modification rolls. Remember, you also have access to Ed’s garage, which gives a +2 to Repair rolls on vehicles.

A Murder Most Foul

A day or three after you return to town, you are approached by the Post Commander, a middle aged woman in well-worn outdoor clothes, and an older man.

The Post-Commander, Simmons, addresses the group, “As you all know, we are extremely grateful for everything you’ve done for Avanzada Seca since you arrived, and we can’t possibly ever repay you.”

Though her words are complimentary, she delivers them with tension, and you can practically feel how uncomfortable she is.

“That said, as you are surely aware, there was a… an incident recently involving Lincoln Black. His remains were found in the ash of a, well of a particularly hot fire, and it’s common knowledge that your group has had several, how to put this? Several interactions with Lincoln in your time here.”

Simmons gestures toward the older man, and continues. “Of course, we have had our own people look into this, but Lincoln’s organization has sent their own representative to assist in the investigation.”

She looks pointedly in Sierra’s direction. “With a fire involved and a pattern of interactions with the deceased, well, he’d like to have a word with all of you, and a look around your quarters here at the Outpost.”

She sighs, looking a bit tired.

“Obviously, I cannot make you do anything, but it would be best for the Outpost, I think, if you would cooperate with Mr.Ford, here.”

The older man steps forward and smiles kindly. He has a genuine face, and carries himself confidently, but not threateningly.

“Now, Commander, it’s not as dire as all that. We just want to know what happened to our man, and I’m sure from the Tomorrow Legion’s reputation that these heroes are interested in solving young Lincoln’s murder, too. I will be around for some few weeks, I would think, and I would appreciate the chance to speak with each of you during that time. Hopefully, we can wrap this all up by then, and perhaps even have a trial.”

He goes on to tell you where in town he is staying, and asks you to call on him any time.

“As for your dormitories, I certainly would like to take a quick look around, though I wouldn’t want to cause any inconvenience. Let me know when would cause you the least disturbance, and I will happily come back.”

He politely waits to see if anyone has questions for him before excusing himself, the Post Commander following not far behind.

A New Kind of Trouble

Time to decide how you will handle Mr. Ford and the investigation into Lincoln’s death. Please write an interlude-style post detailing your character’s response.

Some potential ideas: an interview with Mr. Ford, asking around town about Mr, Ford’s bona fides, conducting your own investigation, etc.

Please be sure to include a Notice roll in your post.

For Sierra

Please also include a Stealth roll for hiding your 1,000,000 credit cred card.

Norona's face creases into a grave frown at the idea of a murder, especially at being implicated in one. "This is a most serious situation. We will lend our cooperation and assistance to whatever degree is necessary." After briefly recounting his interactions with Lincoln, the old scout concludes warily, "We agreed to destroy the armor, and it was taken out to the swamps to avoid any collateral damage. I recommend you speak to Sierra, disposal was her responibility." The idea that his teammate would be involved is anathema to Norona and, as a result, he is happy to outline who had a hand in the ultimate fate of the armor.

After Ford finishes his questioning, Norona heads out into the swamps. It had been sometime since Sierra had destroyed the armor but the slow regrowth rate cause by the shadow beast meant the burn pattern still had not completely grown over. If the armor was truly destroyed there would be little-to-no trace of it but nonetheless he scans the swamps with his hunting goggles looking for arcane and mundane signs. As he suspected, everything is too old to make any definitive determinations. He is about to give up, when a flare of mystical energy appears in his periphery. The spark of the genius loci had manifested itself once again.

Following the spirit, Norona comes to a well worn trail, likely used by trappers and hunters. Keeping pace he follows the trail for a time finding it eventually leading to a small cache and shelter. Searching the building, he finds very little of interest. Assuming it to be a hunter's hide he turns to leave but is struck by its location. No one would hunt here, this is the place of someone who does not want to be found. Searching some more he discovers and underground cache of weapons and other goods. He suddenly realizes that this is a black market depot, perhaps once belonging to Mister Lincoln.

Rather than compromise the site, Norona returns back to the village contemplating the best course of action.

What they needed to do was to make a report back to the Legion; right now, nobody knew if they were even alive, let alone done some of their mission.

They needed a transmitter since they didn't have a shifter or a leyline wizard. A mast or a few would be useful, but first he needed

As he fine tuned the radio, he hit a random bit of static. He was just about to move past it
he realised that it was not random, there was a sequence to it and the signal very strong

Oh crud, I've turned the radio into a bug detector. Range is practically nothing .... he looked around and began waving it around, hearing it react strongly to something in the roof above him. Standing up, he reached up and felt around, one of his claws finding a tiny hole and something metallic inside.

"Sorry chummer, just in the middle of something. Could you come back later

"I was promised co-operation."

"Maybe make an appointment chummer. I do actually have duties to carry out.

"A man died, burned alive. of course, I have been told that you have in your possession a number of fire based weapons. Mr Ford coughed, "Now from what I understand, you ...

"Okay, simple, never met the guy. Spent most of the time either fixing busted up vehicles, finding stuff to cure people or going out and dealing with loony cultists and dinosaurs. Honestly, I've hardly had chance to do anything in town. People here probably think I'm anti-social.

"No need to be defensive, I am merely following lines of enquiry He looked closer at Conrad's armour"interesting, that's a Tolkeen insignia. A veteran of the war I see."

"All just folk now chummer this conversation was getting a little personal when he had things on his mind, "look do you mind popping back later? I really have got some stuff to do. he gestured to the table where the radio was.

Certainly Mr Conrad, Mr Ford smiled a bit too nicely, "if you would like I think I might know a way to assist you with your efforts.

"Sergeant." Conrad corrected him, "let me try what I want to try then we can talk later."

"Very well sergeant, another time."

Jameson Notice 3

OOC Comments

1d8 = 3: 3
wild dice 1d6 = 2: 2

jameson received a ping on her radio from Conrad just as she was thinking about Jareb. She liked the Angel and wanted to find a way to talk to him.
She headed over to their new digs and walked in.

"what's the problem big guy?"

Conrad's tail raised to his lips as in his claws, he held up an electronic bug

"Oh frak," she mouthed, "let me see if I can track down the signal." She grabbed her equipment and started triangulating positions.

Okay, not much luck. Can't pinpoint the source, but the range on these things in pretty poor. maybe a mile at best.

Sierra had been a bit withdrawn and subdued for the last couple days after they returned to town, after she found the place Lincoln had been burned. She was still troubling through why anyone would kill Lincoln. He seemed well liked in town. Was it something to do with his...business? Businesses?

And what was this strange new ability she’d discovered? How had she been able to determine just what happened? And who was that man she kept seeing? Was she going crazy?

When Simmons came to them with this Mr. Ford and looked accusingly at Sierra, she glared right back, crossing her arms defiantly. “You accusing us of something? Lincoln was good with us. Why would we wish him harm? Why do you need to go through our stuff? I don’t need some skeevy perv pawing through my panties.” With a toss of her red hair, Sierra spun around and stalked off. There was even a bit of smoke rising from her clothes as her body heated up in response to her emotions.

Sierra avoided Mr. Ford over the next week. Her teammates found her to be eager to volunteer for patrols out of town. She would often stop by Lincoln’s place, though, going out back and tending to the marijuana plants he grew at the edge of the jungle. She also found the key to the shed out back where he kept his moonshine and the still. Might as well keep it going. It was the only source of cheap alcohol out in this god-forsaken jungle, and it made her feel like Lincoln was still there.

A few nights later, Sierra sat behind Lincoln’s house as the cooler night breeze blew through. She was topless, her flaming wings out to release heat, and she had a joint in one hand and a bottle of Lincoln’s moonshine in the other as she stared out at the stars. She had spent most of the early evening harvesting and hanging the marijuana in Lincoln’s dry house since the plants were ready for harvest.

Sierra spun when she heard footsteps behind her. She cursed as she saw Mr. Ford standing there in the moonlight.

“Shit! You perv!” she accused, her wings going out with a puff of smoke. She grabbed her tank top and pulled it on. “Don’t sneak up on a girl.”

“You have been avoiding me, Ms. Mackenzie.”

Sierra shrugged. “Not avoiding. Just been busy.” She gestured to the grow house. “it’s harvest season.”

“You seem to have taken an interest in Lincoln’s extracurricular activities.”

“He was a friend. And I don’t want to see good weed and ‘shine go to waste,” Sierra said.

“By all accounts, Lincoln was...more than a friend to you.”

“Meh. People talk,” Sierra said. “Lincoln was fun. We had similar interests. And we needed a good deal on some salvage. Do the math.”

“Indeed, I have been doing the math, Ms. Mackenzie.”

Sierra glared at the older man. “What is that supposed to mean?”

He shrugged. “It means that someone tried to dispose of Lincoln’s body with very hot fire. You are someone who creates very hot fire. And now here you are, profiting from his demise.”

Sierra cupped her hand and fire burst into existence. “Care to try that again?”

“I advise you to cooperate with me, Ms. Mackenzie.”

“I don’t know anything! We weren’t even in town!” Sierra snapped.

Mr. Ford smiled. “So you do know something.”

Shit!“Fuck you!” Sierra snapped, closing her hand into a fist, extinguishing the flames. “Maybe you should be talking to his girlfriend.”

Mr. Ford raised an eyebrow. “Oh? And who might that be? I assumed that was you.”

God damn, you smug bastard.“Apparently not,” Sierra said. “I don’t know who. I just found her underwear lying around the house when we got back.”

“And how did you feel about that?”

“Pissed,” Sierra said without thinking.

“I see.”

“What? Wait! I didn’t mean it like that!”

“Like what, Ms. Mackenzie?”

“You’re twisting my words all up to make it look like I did it!”

“I am merely asking questions.”

“Fuck your questions! I just lost a friend!”Damn it, Sierra! Don’t lose it. She wiped at her eyes and then pushed her way past Mr. Ford to head back to her bunk.

Tale Teller: Your hero must tell a story of his group’s deeds to an audience of some sort (roleplay this) and make a Persuasion roll. If successful, the listeners become friendly and helpful to the entire party.

Parley: All characters cease fighting and listen to the hero speak for at least 30 seconds. Others may only take defensive actions during this time. This has no effect on beasts and other creatures that cannot understand the speaker.

The inside of the room was tight for Jareb whom normally favored the freedom of the sky. It was hot, and it was muggy, having to keep his wings closed made Jareb sweat even more. Jareb had nothing, his armor was in an adjacent room, his archaic enchanted sword there as well. Even his bow gifted by Tesla himself was in weapons storage. The room seemed poorly constructed ramshod wood full of nails. It was a wonder how it still stood. Jareb was far from alone.

Mr. Ford was sitting across from him muching one chip at a time from a bag labled Dorito’s: Spicy Nacho. Chomp... Chomp.. Jareb’s plasma pistol, a gift from a cyberknight’s vampire killing bag was on the table within arms reach of either man or angel. Chomp... Chmop... The sound was grating to Jareb and he twitched giving Mr. Ford the non verbal que he was looking for.

Mr. Ford sets the bag down for a moment its spicy nacho aroma spilling into Jareb’s nostrils making his mouth water for some. ”So Jareb... I took a look arround Lincolin’s room and house before coming to you guys. Like I told Red earlier I found some panties... What I didn’t tell her was I also found a fair amount...” He points a cool finger at Jareb’s tucked wings, ”Of Feathers...” He pulls three and sets them down slowly with purpose in a neat row on the table next to the plasma pistol. He looks at Jareb gaguing the angel’s reaction, ” Your Feathers.”

Mr. Ford slips a chip from the bag into his mouth, Chomp... Chomp... He begins to speak in a pointedly cool manner that underlines his rhetorical line of questioning, ” So Jareb, tell me a story... Tell me a yarn where you and Lincoln met at the local watering hole and after a few hours of knocking back shots the two of you discovered you both had a facination for grecko-roman wrestling... After jawing for a half an hour or so the two of you went back to his place and got lathered up with motor oil and went about your favorite past time. Or maybe you tell me a story about your demonic allies. Folks say you keep to them like a bee to honey... The way it is told you even stole that baby you travel with.”

Jareb shakes his head snapping himself out of the thrall of the soft snacking sound coming from Mr. Ford. How does he know? Jareb tries to remain cool but the heat is swealtering, ” I never... You seem to know much Mr. Ford.”

Mr. Ford grins tapping the plasma gun, ”I got Mr. Lincoln burnt to a crisp, his place, his bed covered with Angel feathers and panties, and this plasma gun drained dry... Now if it ain’t Red you better beleive I got my other eye on you.” Mr. Ford leans back in his chair munching on another chip. Chomp Chomp.. ”Back in the day I would call child protection services to remove the child from your care... Best I can do these days is a CS hit squad...” He holds up his hands, in a non threatening nature. They are both remarkably clean and free from any chip dust. ” I would hate to have to take that measure, but I need you to come clean.”

Jareb hears a faint cry... Gift? Mr. Ford snaps his fingers bringing Jareb’s focus back to him. Mr. Ford grimaces, ” I don’t seem to have your attention Jareb... You were just about to tell me why you killed Mr. Lincoln.” While waiting for a response Mr. Ford slides another chip into his mouth. Chomp... Chomp...

Did I kill him? No... I... My gun is drained? Where is gift?

Jareb walks out of the room hours latter his wings heavy with enough sweat to fill a trough. His mind is realing from his time with Mr. Ford. His hands are shaking and hias eyes shot red. He collects his things and Mr. Ford comes out after him. Mr. Ford gestures to the baby Jareb forgot to collect, ”Don’t forget your Gift Jareb. Wouldn’t want to leave something so precious behind now would we.” Absently Jareb scoops Gift up and walks out. Mr. Ford nods to one of his associates.

Unseen a shadow on the wall shakes with laughter, Welcome to the Mind Games Father!

Toshiro frowns at the insinuation that Sierra might be involved in the murder of the black market operative. Sierra was a hot head, not doubt about, and definitely impulsive, but Toshiro had never seen her lose control in that way before. Though that certainly doesn't mean she may not have had a reason...

Having his own doubts, Toshiro decides to investigate a little himself. It's not his area of expertise, but maybe he could dig up something useful.

He figures the first place to start is with they guy already looking into the murder. Later that day, Toshiro stops by Mr. Ford's residence.

"Ah, Mr. Hashada, come in." the polite gentleman says as he steps aside to allow Toshiro in. The surprise that Mr. Ford knows his full name must have registered on his face, because he continues "Yes, Yes, I know who you are. I sent descriptions of your team out and got full dossier's on each of you back just yesterday. All very routine."

Mr. Ford offers Toshiro a steaming beverage, and Toshiro politely refuses. He sits at a small oak table, and Mr. Ford sits across from him.

"I understand communications can be...difficult for you. Mr Ford starts, sipping at his own mug. After setting the mug down, Ford's hand flash quickly through a pattern of movements Toshiro recognizes.

Would American sign Language be easier for you? .

Unable to keep the smile from his face, Toshiro signs in return.

I'm impressed. It is rare to find someone with hearing who knows ASL.

Which makes it all the more useful in many situations. Ford signs, with a smile of his own.

The two make small talk - well, its equivalent in sign - for a few minutes. Eventually they move on to the subject at hand, the murder of Lincoln.

I've that you were involved in an incident are Lincoln's home a few nights back. Is that true? Mr Ford signs, picking up his drink while Toshiro responds.

Toshiro hesitates a moment, before deciding that full disclosure is likely the best pathway in this case. Particularly when that disclosure highlights that Lincoln had many enemies.

Toshiro quickly relates the details of the incident of the attacker at Lincoln's house. He leaves out the details regarding the unusual sword the youth had weilded, and that fact that Toshiro kept it recompense for saving Lincoln's life.

Very interesting... and you say - sorry, old habits - that you have no idea why this mysterious attacker assaulted Lincoln in his own home? Ford signs, an impassive look on his face that does indicate either belief or disbelief of the story.

Only that he seemed upset about something Lincoln had done, and Lincoln refused to give any other details. I'm sorry, but could I use your restroom? Toshiro signs.

Yes of course, Turn left down that halway and it is the second door on the right Ford replies, then points toward a hall over Toshiro's shoulder.

As Toshiro gets up, he activates the recording function on his eye. On the way to the restroom, he quickly steps into each room along the way and sweeps his cybernetic vision over each room, recording as much detail for future review as he can.

When he returns from using the restroom, Toshiro politely bows and signs I'm afraid I must be getting back. Before I go, may I ask if you've found any leads on Lincoln's killer?

Ford's face goes blank as he responds. I'm afraid I'm not at liberty to discuss that.

Of course. Toshiro signs, bowing again. But as you said, The Tomorrow legion is just as interested as you are in solving the murder and bringing the culprit to justice. Our team will be conducting an investigation of our own, just so you know, and would be happy to exchange any findings.

With that, Toshiro thanks Ford for his hospitality and heads back into town. When he gets the chance, he reviews the high definition footage of Ford's rooms for any clues as to what he has been investigating, or what evidence he may have collected.

The muggy air blows across the face of the Market's man, Mr. Ford. The same breeze strikes the black-scaled face of Tyraxas, who had declined meeting indoors, so as not to confine his shape to match the size of the interrogator.

"As I mentioned, I was provided information on the entire group...except for you. You seem to be a recent addition, and your membership in the Tomorrow Legion is...less formal?" Ford smiles gently, seemingly unintimidated by an interrogation...no, a polite conversation with a creature that could swallow him whole, immolate him in a gout of fire, or simply pluck his limbs from his body as a child plucks the head off a dandelion.

"The mighty Tyraxas is unrestrained by affiliation." The dragon regards the man with a piercing eye. The man gives no indication of being affected even by the weather, never mind the fearsome sight of a horned dragon.

"Have you considered other employment?" Ford takes a sip from a canteen, perhaps wishing the dragon hadn't chosen an open clearing near the forest at the edge of town for their polite conversation. The temperature and humidity, amplified by the rays of the direct noontime sun, made all of this quite uncomfortable. He did his best not to let it show.

Tyraxas shows no sign of discomfort. "Employment? You do not employ a dragon. You amuse it, you give it a cause, you make it a deal. You do not employ a dragon."

Ford smiles again, his hands raise in an admission of a mis-speak. "Forgive me. I mean to say, would you speak about other endeavors that may pull you away from this crew you travel with presently?"

He pauses a moment, considering the human's suggestion. Tyraxas then peers intently at the man, the massive head filled with frighteningly sharp teeth (many of them) moving closer to the human conversant. "I thought you were asking about Lincoln's murder."

Ford smiles. "I am. I have at least two suspects. One I can account for. The other..." He gestures back at Tyraxas. "...I would not presume to accuse without an army at my back." His face breaks into a cheshire smile.

The dragon's lips pull back, revealing the impressive array of teeth in a harrowing grin. "But you know full well I had nothing to do with it."

Mr. Ford shrugs. "You have less motive, but I have it on good authority that Miss Mackenzie did not go alone to meet with Mr. Black for the exchange."

Tyraxas' eyes narrow. "Exchange?"

Ford's eyes widen, and he places a hand to his lips. "Have I revealed something you didn't know? I thought the fiery one might have cut you in rather than hoard the whole prize for herself. Do members of the Tomorrow Legion normally engage in mercenary side ventures?"

I knew I saw tracks in the clearing! A wisp of smoke rises from the dragon's nostrils. "I know nothing of an exchange or a prize, nor anything of side ventures." Tyraxas' face betrays nothing, though who would dare to try to see through a dragon's poker face?

Ford shrugs, then shakes his head and waves his hands, as if to dismiss the topic. "I speak out of turn. Let us discuss Miss Mackenzie's...heat. Do you fear it?"

A blast of heat erupts from the nostrils of the black dragon, bringing an instant wave of sweat to Ford's brow. "I fear nothing, least of all, fire."

Mr. Ford pulls a handkerchief from his pocket and dabs at his forehead in an attempt to soak the deluge of sweat from out of his eyes. "Point taken." He sighs as the sweat continues to pour over his face. "I must apologize. The combination of heat, sun, and humidity has done my constitution in for now. I must avail myself of a cold beverage in a cold room. But, one last question." He looks directly into the eyes of the dragon in front of him. "Would you consider, at any point, undertaking mutually beneficial endeavors, if they did not directly conflict with your present company? I'm sure that we could make a deal that would amuse you, with terms that would increase the size of your hoard. You'll forgive the assumption, but I've yet to meet a dragon, no matter how pure, that didn't covet wealth at least to a degree." Ford's eyebrow raises, hoping the suggestion has traction.

Tyraxas leans in closer, his bulk overshadowing the man, blotting out the sun. "I'll not lie about the actions of my friends to hand you a scapegoat, nor will I put them in danger."

Mr. Ford smiles, bows deeply to the dragon, then straightens up. "Very good. We'll be in touch." He turns and begins walking away.

Tyraxas calls out after him. "Sierra didn't kill Lincoln. Do you know who did?"

Mr. Ford turns about-face and chuckles at Tyraxas. "Ah yes. The murderer of Lincoln Black. I have suspicions, and we will find out. But you know that's not why I'm here, now, don't you, mighty one?"

Ford smiles, bows again, then turns and walks away, leaving Tyraxas in the clearing alone to ponder Sierra's extracurricular activities, and just what Ford and his Market would need with the son of Blackwell.

Kuikku is doing magic tricks, badly, for some kids when Mr. Ford finally comes to him. “Kuikku? No family name or designation? That means quick in Japanese, right?” Kuikku nods. Mr. Ford waits for a moment then continues. ”So, shall we go talk about Lincoln's murder?” Kuikku waves for Mr. Ford to lead the way.

They go into the room that Mr. Ford has been using. ”Would you like something to drink while we have this discussion?” Kuikku shakes his head and sits down waving Mr. Ford to the other seat. Mr. Ford shakes his head and sits down. ”I understand you are the leader of this group of Legionnaires.” Kuikku nods. ”What can you tell me about miss Mackenzie and her relationship with Lincoln Ford?” Kuikku shrugs. Waiting for more information Mr. Ford waits a few moments. Realizing nothing else is coming he continues. ”What about Tyraxas and his relationship with both miss Mackenzie and Lincoln?” Again, Kuikku just shrugs. Shaking his head Mr. Ford goes on. ”Do you know of any relationship between Conrad and Lincoln?” Kuikku just shakes his head.

Starting to show some frustration Mr. Ford tries another direction. ”What do you know about Jareb and his kidnapping of the baby he calls Gift?' For the third time Kuikku just shrugs. Mr. Ford throws his hands up and sits back in his chair. ”I got more information from Mr. Hashada than I am getting from you, and he is mute. Are you going to cooperate or not?”

Kuikku snorts and sits forward. ”I am trying to figure out why you think this was a murder. We all know that Lincoln dealt in... esoteric items. He could easily have come across something that was not as stable as he had been led to believe and it, for lack of a better term, exploded. It must not have been very forceful or it would have been heard in town but it easily could have been very hot. Magic does stuff like that. All of my team have said they did not do it. I believe them. Most have indicated they had no knowledge of the incident.”

Mr. Ford jumps in on that last comment. ”Only most? Who has knowledge? They may be involved in some way.”

Kuikku shakes his head. ”I did not say someone had knowledge. I said they had not indicated they had no knowledge. I am sure you have come to the same conclusion I have that miss Mackenzie knew something, but that does not imply she was involved. If she found the body before anyone else did I can easily understand why she did not say anything. A person with her... abilities saying they found a burned body could easily be suspected of doing the deed. What little I do know of her history I can sympathize with her desire to avoid that connection.”

Kuikku points a finger at Mr. Ford. ”If you decide that one of my people are responsible for Lincoln's death you better have more than vague accusations and circumstantial evidence. However, if you do come up with solid proof I will be sure that the guilty party is properly punished. As I said though, he could easily have succumbed to some device that did not react well to him transporting it.” Kuikku then stands and walks out of the room, reaching into his pocket to pull out the deck of cards again.

Tracking Deezy down was no trouble for Ford. Well, it wouldn't have been any trouble for ANYONE, with all the noise coming from the new workshop, but least of all for Ford. It was the cool of twilight when he got to her...perhaps saving the best for last, or perhaps just not expecting much from the interview. Even in the relatively short time the team had been in Avanzada Seca, the techno-wizard had earned a certain reputation for flightiness.

They had, of course, not connected the strange lightshow far off in the swamp with the lessening of the blight on the town. Who would?

Though the building belonged to the Tomorrow Legion, technically, Deezy had laid 'claim' to one of the small outbuildings by nailing a series of wooden planks over the vehicle doorway that, when put end to end, let her draw 'Klatta Tech Heavy Industries Branch Office' across them in colored ink. Blue letters with red outlines that made them look a little like they were on fire.

Under this sign was a much smaller one that said, 'And also the 32nd SET.'

The big door was closed, but Mr Ford could hear clanging and talking from inside, along with occasional less-identifiable noises. He moved around to the side door and knocked politely. And again. When there was no response, he let himself in.

Deezy had her jetpack dismounted from her armor and set up on a rack hanging from the ceiling. She was in cargo pants and a tank top that had probably been white at one point. The same could be said of her skin, and for much the same reason. Grease and some soot were smeared liberally over her clothes and person. When Ford cleared his throat, she whirled around, eyes wide under the lenses of her goggles...which ticked at him and shifted focus.

"Jeez!" she shouted. "You're lucky I didn't have my blaster! I'd have accidentally immolated you in super hot...okay lets just skip past that part and HI, I'm Deezy Klatta of Klattatech Heavy Industries! Glad to meetcha Mister Ford!"

The magi-mechanic pushed her goggles up her forehead where they kept her orange bangs out of her face, then held out a hand to shake.

It looked kind of like a zebra hand might look.

Mr Ford glanced at it, then back at Deezy, face never changing.

She blinked, then took the hand back. "So, uh...want anything to drink?

"No thank you, Miss Klatta," he replied evenly. "I'd like to ask you some questions about the late Lincoln Black though."

Deezy nodded and waved a hand as she set her tools down. "Sure, go ahead."

"How well did you know the deceased?"

The techmage burst into a relieved grin. "That's easy. I didn't! I mean, we met once when we first got into the area, but after that other folks did the deals."

Mr Ford nodded. "So it's fair to say his demise had no negative consequences for you then."

Her face fell a little as she thought about that. "Well, no, I guess not. Not really."

"Is it true you are planning to go into business here, selling products and services?"

Mr Ford's auger eyes stayed unblinking on Deezy. "I obtained a copy of a 'catalog' earlier today." He held it up, a cheaply printed booklet showing what looked like hand-drawn items and text. "Does this document accurately reflect the inventory and goods that your company..."

"Yep! Products for all walks of life! Convenient and hassle-free!"

"...because I notice that many of them are very similar to products that can be obtained through..."

"...but also COMING SOON," Deezy finished hurriedly. She pointed at the catalog. It did say 'coming soon' or something that could charitably be interpreted as 'coming soon' if the ink were less smudged. "Which is to say, when I have facilities. And production lines. And...employees. And stuff."

Mr Ford closed the catalog, and tucked it neatly into his pocket. "Thank you, Miss Klatta, I believe that will be..."

"...wait a second," interrupted Deezy again, her eyes widening. "I have it! I can help you!"

The left eye of Mr Ford twitched. Just a little. "What?"

"I can help you! You want to find a killer, I want you to stop hassling my friends...and also to get a lot of money! It's win win!"

"More like win," he pointed at himself, then pointed at Deezy, "Win win."

"Right!"

With a shake of his head, Mr Ford turned to go. "With due gratitude for the offer, it would be very irregular to obtain the assistance of a suspect in the murder investigation they are a suspect in. Good day, Miss Klatta."

"But...I can make things! Things that would help!" Despite Deezy's offers, Mr Ford didn't look back or even slow down as he left the workshop/makeshift branch office of KHI.

For a second Deezy slumped a little, feeling a bit like she'd failed something important.

Then she brightened.

There was no law that said she HAD to get Ford's permission to help! She could solve this murder FOR him! And then when he was floundering and helpless she'd bring him all the clues, and the murderer! Tied up or something! With a KHI-themed calling card and an INVOICE. And everyone would know!

With a gleeful giggle, Deezy got to work. This was going to be the best thing EVER.

Hindrances
Overconfident (Major): Never give up...NEVER SURRENDER!
Greedy (Minor): Building something like this is going to take a load of bread to capitalize...where’m I gonna get the money?!
Habit (Minor): Too hyperactive!

Given how things in the IC Hangout are going, I wanted to get this posted regarding Mr. Ford's interactions with Sierra. Another update is coming for the entire team, along with instructions/ideas on your next actions.

“Fuck your questions! I just lost a friend!”Damn it, Sierra! Don’t lose it. She wiped at her eyes and then pushed her way past Mr. Ford to head back to her bunk.

As Sierra moves to leave, Ford reaches out and grabs her arm. His grip is firm without being harsh, and he says, “Before you go, Miss Mackenzie, I would give you something of a warning. You should know, the Market is not in the business of persecuting its clients or its suppliers, and you and your team have been both. However, we also never take the death of one of our own lightly. As you can imagine, such a thing in our line of work could lead to certain... misconceptions about the Market.”

Ford looks down at Sierra, and continues, “It has come to my attention that the rest of your companions are unaware as to the details of the transaction Lincoln brokered regarding the mystical set of power armor you recovered.” Before she can protest, he holds up his other hand in a conciliatory gesture, “Now, what you tell your teammates and what you do with your funds are entirely up to you. Do not mistake my meaning. I am not here to judge morality, and I am not a kindergarten teacher; it does not concern me if you know how to share.”

His face hardens, and he continues, “What does concern me is motive. Oftentimes, the simplest answers are the correct ones, and your little secret looks awfully damning from where I stand. Lincoln was the only other person in town who knew about your rather lucrative side deal, and you came back from the wild only to find that he had been sleeping with another woman. Secrecy and jealousy are powerful motivators, and I can tell you, nine times out of ten in situations like this, it’s the jilted lover who did it.”

He lets her arm go. “It has also not escaped our notice that you have already left a fair number of bodies in your wake, and that there is quite the price on your head. Now, that is the sort of secret we keep for our friends… but I am not sure you are a friend.”

He turns to leave, and says over his shoulder, “I’m telling you this as a courtesy, Miss Mackenzie, just in case I am wrong. But you may want to prepare yourself for what is coming. This may surprise you, but the Market values fairness, if not justice. You will have a full opportunity to present your side of the story, but I recommend you take a moment or two to gather yourself and think about those friends of yours and whether you want to drag them down with you. If you are innocent, then of course this is all of little concern. But if not, yours isn’t the only name that will be sullied by all this. And we would prefer to avoid altercations that could affect the accounts of clients as large as the Tomorrow Legion. Bad for business, you see.”

A man none of you recognize bursts through the bush, interrupting your conversation. He's a human man with long hair, an attractive face, and hunting clothes. He appears unarmed except for a vibro-knife at his belt, and his chest puffs with effort from running.

"There you are! Sorry to interrupt, but Ma'arlys just sent me from the lodge to find you. You all better get back quick, because sounds like that Ford fella is bringing formal charges... against you!"

When he says the word "you," he points squarely at the red-headed... Deezy!

"Typically, you get three days to make a defense. You're usually confined while you wait, or sometimes one of the rangers acts as an escort. Anyway, no time really to explain, we gotta go!"

Without waiting to see if you'll follow, he runs off back towards town, yelling "Let's go!"

Now What?

Anyone who heads back to town will find the stranger's word to be true. Mr. Ford has filed a formal complaint against Deezy, and a trial will be held in the command building in three days. Ma'arlys, being experienced with your group, is assigned to accompany Deezy, and she has been instructed not to leave town.

You have three days to prepare for Deezy's trial: what will you do!

I suggest you familiarize yourself with the social conflict rules in SWD, as that is how we will run Deezy's trial.

Some ideas:

Do some digging on Ford.

Study up on legal defenses or procedures.

Track down the source of the bugs you found.

The above is just a list of suggestions; feel free to be inventive.

Make sure you include Notice rolls in your posts, just in case you spot any goodies. If you decide to try and keep your actions hidden from Mr. Ford (or from anyone else), please also include a Stealth roll.

As always, PM me or use Hangouts if you have any questions. Good luck!

"NICE! Now I get to investigate all I want! This makes it all WAY easier!"

She motioned to Ma'arlys, waving him over. "First, you should probably tell me EVERYTHING about how this kind of thing works here. Do I need representation? What kind of burden of proof is there? Does the prosecution have to share their evidence? Do we? Exactly what civil authority are we being judged by? OH WAIT!"

Hindrances
Overconfident (Major): Never give up...NEVER SURRENDER!
Greedy (Minor): Building something like this is going to take a load of bread to capitalize...where’m I gonna get the money?!
Habit (Minor): Too hyperactive!

At the news Jareb takes measure of Deezy’s reaction. The fools... Picking her was your first mistake. Your last will be dangling on the end of my blade.

Seeing her run to the Grackle that he knew from an age passed he heads towards the Library, ” Heading to the Library for some research on their court proceedings, @Sierra Mackenzie if you’re up to it is there any point in getting a good look at Licoln’s remains? I mean you know fire. I realize Lincoln meant something fierce to you and his departure will make this world that less special... But maybe the best we can do for him right now is find out who did it. Seems the body and the way it was burned might tell us something. Like I said you know fire.”

Once their at the Library Jareb gets to work looking over their laws and order specifically concerning the upcoming trial. Through his devine might and will he reads four thick and dry books at once putting on an impressive display of cramming. Meanwhile Gift sleeps peacefully in his backpack.

Between Deezy and Jareb, you learn quite a bit about the processes of justice out here on the frontier.

The legal system is more fluid and flexible than in more established parts of the world. In this case, because of the nature of the formal complaint filed by Ford, there is no period for an extended discovery (as might happen in a more robust proceeding in one of the more civilized locales). Think of this as more of a "wrongful death" lawsuit being sent to arbitration rather than a true criminal trial.

The plaintiff (Mr. Ford, on behalf of the Black Market) is required to submit any pertinent information to the Outpost Commander, who will ask follow up questions as she feels necessary. The defendant (Deezy), may likewise submit any information she deems important to the Outpost Commander (namely, her alibi).

Deezy will receive a copy of the complaint filed against her (in video or audio form, typically, as many of the denizens of the Outpost are illiterate), but not much else.

The idea is that, on the day of the trial, the defendant will be confronted with the whole of the case against her, and the Outpost Commander can judge whether the defendant's reaction is genuine. The Commander can ask any follow up questions that seem pertinent to her, and call any witnesses on the spot (though, generally, such witnesses are arranged ahead of time to make things easier). The trial will last as long as it needs to, though typically the proceedings wrap up in the space of an hour or so (longer for more complicated trials).

The whole thing is very quick and dirty, but it has generally served the outpost well. There are other, lengthier types of proceedings for Outpost-led investigations, but Mr. Ford has chosen to move for a faster resolution.

If desired, a defendant may choose to have an assembly of citizens seated (essentially, jurors) instead of relying on the Outpost Commander. The Commander still directs the trial, but the ultimate verdict is delivered by a group of seven assembled folks picked at random from people who are available the day of. It’s not a very scientific process, but it does allow defendants the option of appealing to their peers rather than to the Commander.

Note: There is one important caveat to the above. If the Outpost Commander renders a verdict, the losing party may appeal to a body of the citizenry to plead her case. That usually happens at a town hall style meeting within a week or so wherein the defendant tries to argue for why she shouldn’t be punished or why the trial wasn’t fair somehow. If she gets ⅔ of those assembled to back her up, the Outpost Commander’s decision is overturned.

If, however, a defendant chooses the jury option during trial, she may not then appeal to the citizenry if she loses.

The potential penalties for losing one of these proceedings can vary wildly from case to case. Sometimes, it's payment of a fine. Sometimes, it's surrender of land (if land is in dispute). On some occasions, it's banishment from the Outpost. This is technically a civil proceeding, though, so jail time and execution are not on the table (though sometimes the losing party can choose to serve a term of incarceration or hard labor to pay off a sentence). Everything else is, though.

Sierra glared at Ford as he grabbed her arm to further his accusations and threaten her with the exposure of her little side deal with Lincoln and reveal her to Whykin authorities.

“You had best remove your hand from me before I burn it off,” Sierra hissed. Already her skin was heating up dangerously, becoming too hot to touch. “My only motive for selling that armor was to not let a million good credits go up in smoke. How could I have killed Lincoln? He was dead long before I got back to town.” It was the first hint that she had known of Lincoln’s death before anyone else did. “My secrets are mine, and so are my ghosts.” She yanked her arm free, leaving Ford to shake his burned hand, and they went their separate ways.

***

Out in the jungle where Sierra had been burning through her emotions before being found by the others, she looked aghast when the young man came from town with the news that Ford was accusing... Deezy of Lincoln’s murder! What the fuck!

“Sierra, if you’re up to it is there any point in getting a good look at Lincoln's remains? I mean, you know fire. I realize Lincoln meant something fierce to you and his departure will make this world that less special. But maybe the best we can do for him right now is find out who did it. Seems the body and the way it was burned might tell us something. Like I said you know fire,” Jareb said.

Sierra took a breath. “I’ve...already looked at the burn site. There wasn’t much left. A femur, some teeth.” She winced. “And...I saw who did it. Burned him, at least.”

Sierra rubbed her face. “I need time to think. I’m going to sleep this off,” she muttered, trudging back to town.

***

The next morning, with a wicked hangover, Sierra set about around town. She wanted to find out just what woman Lincoln was seeing -- she couldn’t really cally it cheating because, well, they hadn’t really been an item -- and if anyone had seen the redheaded stranger around town. They might be good leads to track down for Deezy’s trial.

Tale Teller: Your hero must tell a story of his group’s deeds to an audience of some sort (roleplay this) and make a Persuasion roll. If successful, the listeners become friendly and helpful to the entire party.

Parley: All characters cease fighting and listen to the hero speak for at least 30 seconds. Others may only take defensive actions during this time. This has no effect on beasts and other creatures that cannot understand the speaker.

Toshiro is blown away by the announcement that Ford wants to try Deezy for Lincoln's murder. Any one of the legionnaires would have been a more likely suspect that Deezy.

What is Ford playing at? He's clever so there must be some reason why he is targeting Deezy...

'Tis because he is a coward! A Nave! He shames the purist of you. Deezy's honor must be defended! Slay the dastardly scum!

No...that's probably what he wants...

As the team goes it's various way to do what they can to build a case for Deezy, Toshiro decides to look into Ford. He spends time in the markets of the town, "speaking" with the various shop owners about their businesses and their ties to the black market. He finds that almost universally they all get their wares from the same place. The Black market. Sure, there are some other small players here and there, caravans like Toshiro use to run that take a bet on a long run to the edge of civilization, but the only costant is the black market.

Shit.... This makes things more complicated. Piss off Ford, and he'll pull strings at the market to starve this town...

The blockade. For those too weak to storm the castle and claim victory. Such treachery must not go unanwered. Ford is frail. I could strike him down easily!

Accostomed to to ignoring his new swords outbusts, Toshiro doesn't bother to respond

When he returns to the klattatech bunker, as he affectionately has come to think of it, Jareb fills Toshiro in on the finer points of what passes for the justice system in the Outpost. It's not wasted on Toshiro that Ford had a number of other options for a filing a grievance. It's clear to Toshiro he opted for the path that puts the most frantic pressure on the legionaires. Like negotiating a big deal at your campsite as everyone packs up. It forces your customer to make big decisions quickly, making mistakes.

Maybe that's what he doing. Putting pressure on us, hoping we slip up, do something that makes us look guilty...

Toshiro counsels the team, as much as he he can get through to them, to tread carefully and not do anything rash. Keep it above the board. Don't do anything illegal. He remembers the bugs, and reminds everyone that its possible that they are still being watched somehow.

Kuikku is stunned to hear that Deezy has been accused of murder. He knew she was not exactly careful with her 'tests' but actively killing someone? Seeing how excited she got just proved that thought. As the group headed back to town Kuikku considered confronting Ford about his 'evidence', after all there had been a warning that the evidence better be solid if he wanted to to come after a Legionnaire. Taking time to think about it though, and remembering that acting rashly has already caused him some issues, Kuikku instead decides to see what the process is first.

When Deezy and Jareb come back and relate how the proceedings will go Kuikku is glad he did not confront Ford. Instead he considers how to find out what Ford may have. Knowing they are in good standing with the townsfolk Kuikku starts his own investigation. First he goes to Commander Simmons to find out exactly what the charges are and if she was willing to say anything about evidence. Then he goes to the town doctor and asks about the remains. Specifically, was there any signs of damage before the fire. Also he asks if it is possible to tell what the heat was from such as plasma, gasoline, magic, or something else.

Last edited by Kuikku on Sun Jan 27, 2019 8:51 am, edited 2 times in total.

While the others are shaking trees around town trying to find information on Ford, or chasing down the signals on the bugs, Tyraxas resolves to follow Ford directly. Armed with the knowledge that Ford hasn't seen his human form, he sheds his deadboy armor and blends into the populace of Avanzada Seca, following the Black Market investigator. Where appropriate, Tyraxas uses the advantage of his advanced arcane abilities to melt into nothingness, cloaked by True Invisibility. Any clues he can obtain, written notes he can peruse, or conversations he can eavesdrop on are his aim. Tyraxas makes excellent use of his human disguise to monitor as much of Ford's comings and goings as he can.

Deezy idly took some bits and pieces out of her pouches and started messing with them. Presently, a very pleasant, relaxing little tune started playing on metal tines. She bobbed her head along with it, then looked up at her minder.

"Hey, Mar," Deezy says as she lingers behind while the others break off to do their things. "Who in town's been looking into this anyway? Just Ford, or was there a local inquiry too?"

It's quite possible that the grackle might not have been inclined to say anything, for fear of tainting the process, or angering Ford...but it was hard to focus on negative stuff like that with the music playing in the background. It reminded one of simpler times, when there weren't any worries or troubles.

As she conversed with Mar'Arlys, the technomage kept working, snapping together a little flashlight-lookin' thing that would snap onto the side of her goggles. Abruptly she had an idea, and started rummaging around again. More pieces flew out, more solder and glue and little bits of string with gum attached to them stuck them together...and pretty soon a tiny little flying saucer appeared.

The flying saucer flew away, crashing out through a window, still making that foghorn noise as it meandered through town in search of its target...to whom it would then...give a report to? Ugh, what a mess.

Deezy winced as she looked up at the grackletooth looming over her.

"Think we could go for a walk?"

---

A few minutes later, they'd reached the blackened spot where Ford's 'remains' had been found.

"Don't worry, I'm not changing anything. I just want a better look."

She adjusted TIAMAT, and her goggles clicked and whirred as she cycled through its sensitivity modes, searching for any sign of what had happened here. It had been some time...she'd need some luck.

Finally Deezy looked around and said, "Anyone live around here?" At Mar's information, she went door to door, making 'house calls' as it were, and asking anyone who might have seen something what they'd seen, recording the sessions on her helmet's audio recorder. As she spoke, the little flashlight on her goggles flashed in eerie little strobes. It was a little distracting, but it seemed to lull people a little, stimulating memory and making things much clearer than they might otherwise have been after so long.

Hindrances
Overconfident (Major): Never give up...NEVER SURRENDER!
Greedy (Minor): Building something like this is going to take a load of bread to capitalize...where’m I gonna get the money?!
Habit (Minor): Too hyperactive!

The issue of Mr. Ford perplexes Norona. His sudden appearance. His brash movements. All of it seems like a game or ploy to some unseen end. Something must be driving him to act now, and to make such a poor choice in accused. This smells of a set-up. While the urban jungle and the machinations of humans are foreign to Norona, the experienced scout still knew an ambush when he saw one. The trick would be to peel back the layers of Ford's motives and then turn the tables on him. That meant reaching out to someone who knew the other side of the story...someone connected to Ford's competitors. Fortunately for Norona, he had saved many lives in this town and people were grateful and forthcoming as a result.

Sitting quietly in the garage he first came to in this town Norona waited. He had saved the man's daughter, and then the whole town. Playing on the favour felt wrong, but Deezy was in trouble. In the dank humidity of the evening a figure moved quietly through the door, little did they know Norona could see them - her in fact - easily. However, he let the pretense continue for a moment before saying, "We are here to talk not skulk. Come from the shadows." The woman, who was quite young, stepped forward a laser pistol easily visible in her hand. The poor woman was out of her element if she thought that tiny weapon stood any chance against the power of the genius loci.

"Then speak," she said defiantly.

"You are an acquaintance of Mister Ford. In the same business as I understand it. I seek your insight into his motives against our team member. The Legion must obey the laws of the land, but Mister Ford is under no such obligation."

The woman actually laughed, "Do you really talk like that all the time?" She raised her nose in the air and starting imitating the elf's mannerisms. She was unsettlingly accurate."I am afraid American is not my first language," was the only retort he could muster.

Snorting the woman holstered the pistol and sat down. "I know you aren't going to rat me out to Ford. You're two square for that. So I'll tell you what I know. Ford is under pressure from a very smart and attractive competitor." Her lack of subtlety indicated she was, in fact, this competitor. "So he wants to wrap this up quickly and get back to Char before he loses anymore ground. I'm here to see what's got him all hot and bothered by this situation. His people go down all the time." The young woman appeared to leave out the part that, in many cases, she was the cause of these deaths.

Nodding, Norona filled in the blanks a bit, "So you believe he is pushing for a quick resolution to draw out the real culprit before trial?"

The woman nodded vigorously, "Yep, that's old Ford go too hard, too soon, and it's over way too quick." Furrowing his brow, Norona assumes that there was some innuendo attached to that statement. If Sierra were here she could confirm it for sure.

"Very well miss..." Norona left the name hanging.

"Brass," she replied, filling in the blank.

"Very well Miss Brass. It seems our interests are aligned for the moment. Help us to uncover the real issue and you can use what you find out to discredit your competitor. Provided of course, you do well by the Legion when our teams pass through in the future."

"Sure thing stuffy. You goody two shoes types can get the friends and family discount."

Channeling his inner Sierra, Norona gives a smirk, "And do these friends have benefits?"

With that, the hard nosed Ms. Brass, fell about laughing. Although it was a joke, Norona couldn't help but feel a slight sting of rejection. Foolish old man, he thought, chastising himself.

Jareb spent time in the town’s library ducking questions about Dzeey’s presumed guilt and instesad boning on what amounted to law in this swamp water town. I’ll kill Ford if he thinks he can run Deexy out of town. The late night in the library doesn’t bother the Angel and in fact the relative quiet when folks get that he is not answering questions make for a quiet place for Gift to sleep.

Jareb opens the next book and something catches his eye. He comms Jameson having shyed away from her questioning looks till now, ”Jameson, I am at the Library. Can I ask you some info about your coalition background? It may provide insight into what is happening here.”

The next morning, with a wicked hangover, Sierra set about around town. She wanted to find out just what woman Lincoln was seeing -- she couldn’t really cally it cheating because, well, they hadn’t really been an item -- and if anyone had seen the redheaded stranger around town. They might be good leads to track down for Deezy’s trial.

Sierra doesn’t find out anything else about the strange, red-haired man, but she does find her way to the Outpost Hospital and a pretty (if you don’t mind the horns) D’norr medic named Namia. When Sierra enters, Namia’s eyes go wide and she practically dives for a hidden laser pistol, which she holds awkwardly (and, Sierra notes, with the safety still on).

“Y-y-you!” she stammers. “I knew you were coming for me! I knew it”

Sierra does her best to placate Namia (OOC: Matthew, feel free to add some RP here in your next post if you like to reflect that high Persuasion roll), who eventually breaks down into tears and collapses onto a hospital bed, practically lying on her side.

“Lincoln said it was fine,” she says between sobs, “that it was nothing serious. But you… I mean there was a fire and you’re a burster, or something, right? I thought… I thought it was only a matter of time before you burned me up, too.”

When Deezy and Jareb come back and relate how the proceedings will go Kuikku is glad he did not confront Ford. Instead he considers how to find out what Ford may have. Knowing they are in good standing with the townsfolk Kuikku starts his own investigation. First he goes to Commander Simmons to find out exactly what the charges are and if she was willing to say anything about evidence. Then he goes to the town doctor and asks about the remains. Specifically, was there any signs of damage before the fire. Also he asks if it is possible to tell what the heat was from such as plasma, gasoline, magic, or something else.

Simmons seems reluctant, but says, “Listen, I can’t tell you much. Of course, we are all so grateful for what your team did for this town. It’s plain to see that we were dying slowly, and that you all reversed it somehow.”

She thinks a moment, “what I can tell you is this: it appears as though the residual arcane energy signature (whatever that is) left at the burn site is very unusual. Per the information I have, it doesn’t look quite like normal fire and it doesn’t look quite like psionic fire. How fire can have an energy signature is beyond me, but Ford seems to think it does and has provided evidence to that effect.”

When Kuikku arrives at the hospital, he finds Sierra and Namia there (see above). Feel free to respond accordingly.

While the others are shaking trees around town trying to find information on Ford, or chasing down the signals on the bugs, Tyraxas resolves to follow Ford directly. Armed with the knowledge that Ford hasn't seen his human form, he sheds his deadboy armor and blends into the populace of Avanzada Seca, following the Black Market investigator. Where appropriate, Tyraxas uses the advantage of his advanced arcane abilities to melt into nothingness, cloaked by True Invisibility. Any clues he can obtain, written notes he can peruse, or conversations he can eavesdrop on are his aim. Tyraxas makes excellent use of his human disguise to monitor as much of Ford's comings and goings as he can.

Tyraxas’ sneakiness pays off, as he notices Ford meeting repeatedly with a male Trimidore in out of the way places and once or twice at Ford’s residence. As Tyr is making his way back to tell the rest of the crew, he notices that Ford’s gaze lingers a bit too long on Tyraxas’ human form. Ford exhales and shakes his head as if to say, “you got me,” and gives Tyr a wink before turning and going inside.

Deezy idly took some bits and pieces out of her pouches and started messing with them. Presently, a very pleasant, relaxing little tune started playing on metal tines. She bobbed her head along with it, then looked up at her minder.

"Hey, Mar," Deezy says as she lingers behind while the others break off to do their things. "Who in town's been looking into this anyway? Just Ford, or was there a local inquiry too?"

Ma’arlys looks at Deezy with a raised eyebrow. “A man died, Deezy. Of course there was a local inquiry.”

She waves a clawed hand dismissively. “We didn’t find much. A fire, obviously, but no signs of who may have started it. A heckuva hot fire, too, given how much of Lincoln’s body it burned up; it’s hard to disintegrate a body like that. Plasma can do it, but this didn’t have the telltale signs of plasma.”

“Naturally, we thought of your teammate, Sierra, but beyond the fact that she makes fire and that she knew Lincoln, there just wasn’t enough there to go off of. And with a fire like that, it’s hard to tell exactly when it started, you know? We put it at within a few hours of when you guys came back from the swamp, give or take, but who knows for sure? And besides, we didn’t want to accuse any of your team unless we were sure we knew what was what, half-damned angel or no.”

A few minutes later, they'd reached the blackened spot where Ford's 'remains' had been found.

"Don't worry, I'm not changing anything. I just want a better look."

She adjusted TIAMAT, and her goggles clicked and whirred as she cycled through its sensitivity modes, searching for any sign of what had happened here. It had been some time...she'd need some luck.

Finally Deezy looked around and said, "Anyone live around here?" At Mar's information, she went door to door, making 'house calls' as it were, and asking anyone who might have seen something what they'd seen, recording the sessions on her helmet's audio recorder. As she spoke, the little flashlight on her goggles flashed in eerie little strobes. It was a little distracting, but it seemed to lull people a little, stimulating memory and making things much clearer than they might otherwise have been after so long.

Deezy confirms that there are traces of something super weird about the fire, but it’s hard to confirm it for sure, given that so much time has passed. Ma’arlys is right, though, that it doesn’t look like plasma, and it doesn’t look like normal burster fire, either.

Deezy might wonder what Sierra’s fires would look like viewed up close through TIAMAT. This is in an OOC tag because it’s just a suggestion; I don’t want to speak for the internal dialogue of anyone’s characters, and Deezy’s mind might not go there at all. Just food for thought.

Going door to door, Deezy finds that people are very helpful and seem genuinely happy to see her. Unfortunately, they don’t have much to add. Most of them say that they didn’t see anyone with Lincoln the day of the fire, but that he had gone out on his own (as, it turns out, was his custom) to do no-one-knew-exactly what.

One person, however, did report that she heard another male voice conversing with Lincoln, but didn’t actually see a face. The voice seemed friendly enough, though, and she assumed it was some acquaintance from his connections with the Market.

Sierra got a name. Namia. She hadn’t met the woman, but then she hadn’t met a lot of people in town. Mostly she’d stayed over at Lincoln’s or in the barracks. When she walked in, she was surprised to be looking down the barrel of a laser pistol held by a pretty D’Norr medic.

“Whoa, whoa!” Sierra said. “Do you even know how to use that thing? Put it away before you shoot one of your patients, bi--”” Sierra cut herself off before she made things worse. “I’m not here to hurt you.”

When the gun was put away, Namia collapsed into tears onto the bed. Sierra sighed and rubbed her eyes, sitting down and gently rubbing Namia’s arm reassuringly.

“Of course Lincoln said it was fine,” Sierra said. “He wanted to get laid. And, well, I guess it was. I mean, it wasn’t like we were married or anything.” She sighed. “Yes, I’m a burster, but I didn’t kill Lincoln. I was just as surprised to find that out as you were. No one on my team killed him, so I don’t know why they’re blaming Deezy when I’m the obvious suspect.”

Sierra puzzled at that for a moment. She lay back on the bed beside Namia, her body giving off warmth against Namia’s back. “So were you and Lincoln...close?” Sierra asked quietly. “I mean, yeah, you were bumping uglies, but...did I get between you two? Were you guys, like, a thing? I didn’t know Lincoln that well,” she admitted. “If I ruined something, I’m...I’m sorry.” Sierra stared up at the ceiling.

Tale Teller: Your hero must tell a story of his group’s deeds to an audience of some sort (roleplay this) and make a Persuasion roll. If successful, the listeners become friendly and helpful to the entire party.

Parley: All characters cease fighting and listen to the hero speak for at least 30 seconds. Others may only take defensive actions during this time. This has no effect on beasts and other creatures that cannot understand the speaker.

Simmons wrote:“Listen, I can’t tell you much. Of course, we are all so grateful for what your team did for this town. It’s plain to see that we were dying slowly, and that you all reversed it somehow.”

She thinks a moment, “What I can tell you is this: it appears as though the residual arcane energy signature (whatever that is) left at the burn site is very unusual. Per the information I have, it doesn’t look quite like normal fire and it doesn’t look quite like psionic fire. How fire can have an energy signature is beyond me, but Ford seems to think it does and has provided evidence to that effect.”

Kuikku nods. “Yea, I have heard that some bursters can identify the source of a fire. I suppose it is not much of a stretch to think they can sense the type of fire. I wonder if Sierra can do that. I need her and Deezy to burn a few things and have them both check for residue.” Seeing the look of concern on Simmons' face Kuikku grins. ”They will be controlled burns and plenty of water will be at hand as well. Thank you for the information.”

Kuikku heads to the clinic next. Maybe the doctor can tell him something else. Then again maybe not. This is a small community and she may not have much experience with this type of stuff. When he walks in he sees Sierra lying back on the bed staring into space and the doctor sitting on the edge of the bed, with her back to the door. Is there anyone she won't try to seduce? She may have gotten everything from her already. In more ways than one. Kuikku clears his throat and the doctor jumps up and spins towards the door is surprise. Seeing her red eyes Kuikku chastises himself for jumping to conclusions, again.

”Excuse me, I wanted to ask you a few questions if that is alright.” Waiting for her to calm down and nod Kuikku continues. ”I was wondering if you had any information on Lincoln's remains. Did you see any damage that was not caused by the fire? Specifically I am asking about stabs, shots, or breaks prior to burning.” When the doctor collapses in tears he is not sure what to do. That is when he remembers the other woman's underwear. Oh, crap! This was the other woman?!

He squats down next to her. Placing a hand on her shoulder he tries to comfort her. ”I'm sorry, I didn't realize. But anything you can tell us might help bring his actual murderer to justice. Please, if you can think of anything out of the ordinary it might be the one clue to break the case.” Eventually her sobs slow down enough to allow her to shake her head. ”There was not much left. What there was had been burned so thoroughly that anything like that would have been destroyed. I'm sorry.”

Kuikku pats her shoulder again. ”That may actually be the information we need. Thank you.” Standing up he catches Sierra's eye and gestures her to the door. When they get outside he asks ”Are you able to tell me stuff about an old fire? Simmons said there was a weird 'residue' that was not psionic and not normal either. I want you and Deezy to burn a few things and then both of you try to 'read' the remains to see what markers are left. Are you willing to do that?"

After his information gathering session Norona rejoins the rest of the group to compare notes. As others recall their various revelations the half-elf shares his insights as well, "Mister Ford appears to be using the justice system to do work for him. He knows Deezy is not the culprit but is counting on our investigation and aggressive defense of our friend to smoke out the real perpetrator."

If anyone shares the information that the fire was demonic Norona will raise an intrigued eyebrow and posit a theory, "I find it beyond coincidental that hell fire is involved given our run in with the demonic. Perhaps Lincoln was trying to use the suit and set off a protective system. Or worse, sell it back to the demons in a proverbial deal with the devil. Those never end as expected."

Tale Teller: Your hero must tell a story of his group’s deeds to an audience of some sort (roleplay this) and make a Persuasion roll. If successful, the listeners become friendly and helpful to the entire party.

Parley: All characters cease fighting and listen to the hero speak for at least 30 seconds. Others may only take defensive actions during this time. This has no effect on beasts and other creatures that cannot understand the speaker.

Kuikku frowns. ”You found Lincoln's body? Never mind that. I know Deezy can see all sorts of stuff with those goggles and if you can sense that stuff too then we will have two readings compared to whatever Ford has. I want to focus on Deezy's innocence; if Ford wants to find the actual killer he has to do his own work. Go find her and meet me south of town. I am going to buy something to burn.”

Walking around town Kuikku looks for something to kill and burn. We will need to club it till something breaks, stab it, and shoot it, with both bullets and lasers. It should be reasonably big so chickens won't work. Or... We could do all that to different chickens. No, we need to have enough left to burn. Just then there is a bellow behind one of the buildings. Running to the sound he draws up short when he sees it is just one of the dino beasts.

Kuikku starts to go back to the street when he suddenly stops. Turning back to the dino he looks at it with a critical eye. It would take a serious swing to break a leg but I think that would work. Plenty of places to stab and shoot too. He continues circling identifying the best places to do the damage. He is so involved in his inspection he misses the door to the building opening and someone stepping out to watch him.

”Can I help you with something?” Kuikku jumps at the sudden question and spins to the speaker. He sees a middle aged woman wearing a nice dress and holding a dish towel in her hands. ”Sorry. I was looking at how best to...” He stops himself realizing that details may not be the best thing to say right now. ”Would you be interested in selling this to me? We may need a second one as well but I don't want to take them all from one person.”

The woman gets a thoughtful look. ”Not sure why the Legion would need an old beast like that one but I can sell it to you. I was planing on taking it to slaughter soon anyhow. How about I give you that one and you buy me a new one?”

Shocked at how easy that was Kuikku nods. ”Sure, I can do that. Where would I go? Oh, and you said to slaughter. Do you know how they put them down easily? Not that I plan on doing anything like that but sometimes we come across thing that need to die but I would prefer to do it with as little pain as possible.”

Now the women gets a worried look. She still tells him what she knows and he thanks her. Taking the lead she placed on the dino Kuikku heads South out of town. When he is clear of all the buildings he starts looking for trouble. I hope she found Deezy already. I don't like the idea of standing around out here with a killer on the loose.

“Yes, I found Lincoln,” Sierra answered Kuikku. “There wasn’t much left but a leg bone, some teeth. I just...knew it was him. And there was a man there, in the flames.” She shuddered. “I’ll go find Deezy.”

Sierra headed to the barracks where they were staying, but Deezy wasn’t there. Sierra finally found her knocking on doors around town with Ma’arlys.

“Hey, Deez. Kuikku wants us to meet him down by the south gate. He wants us to burn shit.”

The other redhead collected, Sierra joined Kuikku. She stared at the dino. “Is that what you want us to burn?” she asked.

Tale Teller: Your hero must tell a story of his group’s deeds to an audience of some sort (roleplay this) and make a Persuasion roll. If successful, the listeners become friendly and helpful to the entire party.

Parley: All characters cease fighting and listen to the hero speak for at least 30 seconds. Others may only take defensive actions during this time. This has no effect on beasts and other creatures that cannot understand the speaker.

"I went and looked at the spot where the guy got fried, and there was some weeeeeeeeeired stuff hanging around in that spot. It's hard to be sure after so long, but I think it might've been demonic! Anyway, I need to see Sierra in action to make sure her backwash doesn't match."

Abruptly Deezy realized what she'd said and waved a hand. "Not that I think it will! We just have to dot the tees!"

Hindrances
Overconfident (Major): Never give up...NEVER SURRENDER!
Greedy (Minor): Building something like this is going to take a load of bread to capitalize...where’m I gonna get the money?!
Habit (Minor): Too hyperactive!

Tyraxas relays his findings to the rest of the SET, then announces his intentions. "I will gather information on this...trima...gangly creature that Ford spoke to. There must be a reason for their constant dialogues in strange places." He sets about asking the townsfolk, mostly in his draconic form (to ensure they realize this is the Athen Dragon) about the mysterious trimadore. "Is he known to you? If so, for how long? What other associations does he keep? How is he employed? Have you ever interacted with him?"

Jareb opens the next book and something catches his eye. He comms Jameson having shyed away from her questioning looks till now, ”Jameson, I am at the Library. Can I ask you some info about your coalition background? It may provide insight into what is happening here.”

As the crew gathers around Kuikku is talking gently to the dino. When Conrad gets there Kuikku nods and makes a quick motion with his hands. The dino grunts in apparent shock and falls down dead. Taking a cloth from his belt he cleans off a gun looking device that has a large bolt projecting from the barrel. ”Ok. We need to break a leg and crack the skull, stab it in the heart and lungs, and shoot it in several locations. Then I need you, Deezy, to do your best to burn it all away. Do as much fire damage as you can using any method you want. Then you and Sierra examine the remains and see what you can detect. All we need to do is prove your innocence then Ford can look for the real killer if he wants.”

"All we need to do is prove your innocence then Ford can look for the real killer if he wants.”[/b]

Toshiro interrupts, shaking his head and frowning. He taps away on his personal keypad.

"Simmon's h...ands are b.....asicall.....y tied. F....ord prov.....ides al....most all ....of the su...pplies th...e town us....es throug...h the bla....ck market..... She has a....good repu...tation bu....t she won...t let the....town sta....rve to sa....ve us fro...m paying....a fine. We...have to s...atisfy For....d or she w....ill be fo....rced to r...ule in hi...s favor."

Kuikku pieces together Toshiro's comments and nods. "I understand that but until Ford admits what he wants there is only so much we can do. So far all he has done is accuse a known innocent for murder. All we can do in response is prove that innocence. If that does not satisfy him then maybe he will actually ask for our help instead of trying to blackmail us for it."

Kuikku gets thoughtful. "He commented that he... not liked but was satisfied by his interview with you. Maybe you can talk to him again and see if he is willing to actually tell you what he wants. We don't want the town to suffer for his ignorance and pride."

Sierra crossed her arms at Deezy’s implication, but she supposed the girl was right. They needed to rule it out for the sake of the court, anyway.

“Should we have someone independent to observe this?” she asked. She looked over at Ma’arlys, Deezy’s babysitter. She didn’t know if the woman would be able to see the magical energies or not.

Sierra listened to what Kuikku wanted them to do. She nodded, but looked a bit skeptical. “You have anyone else that can do this?” she asked. “I’m novice at this, and I don’t see magic. I see...fire,” she explained. “In my vision it did feel...different. But I don’t know how I would convey that. I don’t have much experience beyond my own or normal fire.”

Tale Teller: Your hero must tell a story of his group’s deeds to an audience of some sort (roleplay this) and make a Persuasion roll. If successful, the listeners become friendly and helpful to the entire party.

Parley: All characters cease fighting and listen to the hero speak for at least 30 seconds. Others may only take defensive actions during this time. This has no effect on beasts and other creatures that cannot understand the speaker.

"I'm telling you, I'm pretty sure there was dimensional resonance hanging around that spot," Deezy says, adjusting her goggles and starting to swap out parts on the Omniblaster to make sure it'd be the hottest fire she could make. "It's an old trace, and faint, but I'm like ninety...okay maybe seventy...percent sure that it was a dimensional entity, OTHERWISE KNOWN AS, a demon. Of some kind." She grimaces. "Can't be more specific No idea why he'd have been hanging around with a demon, but maybe a deal went bad?"

"Kooky, you're probably right about Ford's game, but I think Toshiro has a point too! What better way to show I didn't do it than find who did?! Besides, this is kinda fun! I wish he'd just asked us to help find the killer to START with!"

Hindrances
Overconfident (Major): Never give up...NEVER SURRENDER!
Greedy (Minor): Building something like this is going to take a load of bread to capitalize...where’m I gonna get the money?!
Habit (Minor): Too hyperactive!

Sierra pales slightly when Deezy mentioned a demon and a deal gone bad. Shit. Had that been the deal about the demonic armor that Sierra had sold to Lincoln? He’d said he had a buyer. Was this demon the buyer, and did he kill Lincoln because of it? Maybe Sierra really had killed him!

As Norona showed up and started an argument about killing the dinosaur, Sierra found a tree stump to sit on, leaning over and putting her head between her legs, feeling a bit sick.

Tale Teller: Your hero must tell a story of his group’s deeds to an audience of some sort (roleplay this) and make a Persuasion roll. If successful, the listeners become friendly and helpful to the entire party.

Parley: All characters cease fighting and listen to the hero speak for at least 30 seconds. Others may only take defensive actions during this time. This has no effect on beasts and other creatures that cannot understand the speaker.

"What's your plan Chummer?" Conrad sits down on a nearby log, which creaks under his weight, close to Sierra, "we are looking for evidence to exonerate Deezy. Do you have an alternative suggestion?"
Conrad was feeling protective of Deezy and happy to take some direction to help exonerate her. However, if things went south, he could not rule out that he would grab her and run if it came to it.

"Sierra, you alright?" his tail snaked around and hugged the young burster.

OOC Comments

To do list
Who killed Lincoln?
Exonerate Deezy
Establish contact with Tomorrow Legion

"We don't need a live one," Deezy points out. "One that's dead'll work just fine. Or really even just a pile of meat."

Noticing Sierra's reaction, she goes over to the burster.

"Aww, don't worry! I'm like...78% sure that whatever I saw did not come from you! It didn't look psionic at ALL. So! Unless you're part demon or something...!" The magitechnician laughed, rubbing the back of her head, then immediately turned serious. "...you're not, right?"

Hindrances
Overconfident (Major): Never give up...NEVER SURRENDER!
Greedy (Minor): Building something like this is going to take a load of bread to capitalize...where’m I gonna get the money?!
Habit (Minor): Too hyperactive!

"Sierra, you alright?" Conrad’s tail snaked around and hugged the young burster.

Sierra took a breath to steady her nerves. “I don’t know. I might have made a big mistake,” she said with a wan smile.

"Aww, don't worry! I'm like...78% sure that whatever I saw did not come from you! It didn't look psionic at ALL. So! Unless you're part demon or something...!" Deezy laughed, rubbing the back of her head, then immediately turned serious. "...you're not, right?"

Sierra blinked, then looked a little offended. “Of course not! Do I look like a demon?” she said. But then neither did the man in the flames that she saw in her vision.

Tale Teller: Your hero must tell a story of his group’s deeds to an audience of some sort (roleplay this) and make a Persuasion roll. If successful, the listeners become friendly and helpful to the entire party.

Parley: All characters cease fighting and listen to the hero speak for at least 30 seconds. Others may only take defensive actions during this time. This has no effect on beasts and other creatures that cannot understand the speaker.

Hindrances
Overconfident (Major): Never give up...NEVER SURRENDER!
Greedy (Minor): Building something like this is going to take a load of bread to capitalize...where’m I gonna get the money?!
Habit (Minor): Too hyperactive!

Kuikku steps back from the dino. "Norona, I understand your hesitance to kill the beast and not use at least some of the parts. The person I purchased it from was taking it to slaughter, though I do not know exactly what was going to be harvested. I just figured one body that can take multiple simulated wounds would be better than using using multiple bodies. I thought about chickens but that would have taken a lot and the bones and flesh would not have been sufficient for proper damage or cremation."

He then grins sheepishly. " And, I was talking to the critter while I waited for the rest of you. I told it what we needed and asked if it was ok with what was going to happen. When it nuzzled against me I took that as a 'yes' and thanked it for its willingness to help us." He scuffs the ground and avoids looking at at anyone as he says this.

Looking over to Sierra he notes her concern but thinks it may be better to discuss it with her later, less publicly.

Jareb flaps down holding Gift in one hand and his sword sheathed. He seems to have just arrived after working with Jameson in the Library.

In The Library

The angel eyes the ex coalition solodier warily. He had avoided contact with her up to this point because her furtive glances had not gone unnoticed nor unappreciated. He pulls a chair for her and asks her calmly pointing to his archaic law books piled, ” Can you tell me of the laws in the coalition? Perhaps in gleaming some understanding I will uncover a deeper meaning to the proceeding here.” He pushed forward not letting desire get the best of him. He had a friend to save.

He called loudly with the heavens crackling to emphasize his point, ” Remember friends this swamp is more alive and interconnected that we can fathom. Hurt one creature needlessly we may set forth a series of events the likes we cannot imagine.” He puts his hand on Norona’s shoulder doing his best to support the elf. ” If a warden of the swamp does not approve, is it not wise to heed the messege? Especially if it is from a messenger we trust?”

"It's also worth saying that, unless you can talk to animals, Kooky, that a dinosaur nuzzling you might not mean 'yeah I understood what you're asking and totally agree.' It might just like you. Or maybe it's hoping you'll feed it. Just saying."

She shrugs.
"We don't need a living body for this. Literally a pile of meat would be fine. The thing we're testing is not what's left after the blast, it's the psychokinetic and thaumic residues left behind in the local PPE field."

Hindrances
Overconfident (Major): Never give up...NEVER SURRENDER!
Greedy (Minor): Building something like this is going to take a load of bread to capitalize...where’m I gonna get the money?!
Habit (Minor): Too hyperactive!

Tyraxas relays his findings to the rest of the SET, then announces his intentions. "I will gather information on this...trima...gangly creature that Ford spoke to. There must be a reason for their constant dialogues in strange places." He sets about asking the townsfolk, mostly in his draconic form (to ensure they realize this is the Athen Dragon) about the mysterious trimadore. "Is he known to you? If so, for how long? What other associations does he keep? How is he employed? Have you ever interacted with him?"

Awed by the Athen Dragon, the townsfolk are only too eager to answer Tyraxas’s questions. He finds out, perhaps unsurprisingly, that the trimadore is not well known around town and appears to have arrived in town at the same time as Mr. Ford.

Fire

After some back and forth, assuming the group follows through with the plan to have everyone burn things and check what the flames look like in the magical spectrum, you may find something interesting.

Sierra’s flames don’t read exactly like hellfire, but they are weird. There is definitely a lot of psionic power mixed in there, but there are also strong indications of something else. Her flames look almost as if a demon and a burster both tried to light the same campfire at the same time.

For Deezy, if she makes her K/Arcana check

Sierra’s flames are definitely similar to the dimensional resonance you found at the site of Lincoln’s demise, but they are not a perfect match. Of course, it’s a little hard to say, as time had passed between whatever happened to Lincoln and Deezy’s review of the scene.

Sierra rolled her eyes as the others argued over the dinosaur. “If it’s just burning you need…” she said, and then she let forth a great gout of flame into the jungle, setting it afire. “There. Go take your readings. Let me know if anything else needs to burn.” She sat down on her stump again and pulled her knees to her chest, wrapping her arms around them and watching the fires burn, keeping them contained and under control, but otherwise keeping out of the way and trapped in her own thoughts and growing guilt.

Tale Teller: Your hero must tell a story of his group’s deeds to an audience of some sort (roleplay this) and make a Persuasion roll. If successful, the listeners become friendly and helpful to the entire party.

Parley: All characters cease fighting and listen to the hero speak for at least 30 seconds. Others may only take defensive actions during this time. This has no effect on beasts and other creatures that cannot understand the speaker.

Deezy watches Sierra's display intently, her goggle lenses ticking and rotating, then ticking and rotating more. Filters popped over them, then flicked back out, only to be replaced by others. Her head tilts. "Hmm."

"Alright, that's fine. Now the control..."

She swung the Omniblaster up into her arms in firing position. The aperture in the front snapped open and emitted that characteristic turbine whine. A bright blossom of plasma abruptly spewed from it, searing a trench into the earth.

Then the inventor paused, regarding that area through her goggles again.

"Okay, so...everything's pretty much exactly what I expected..."

Abruptly Deezy whirled to point at Sierra. "Except for YOU. Your fire's weird. It actually DOES have a dimensional resonance, though it's not exactly the same as the fire that killed our man. Kinda close, but it does make me rethink the whole 'demon' thing."

Hindrances
Overconfident (Major): Never give up...NEVER SURRENDER!
Greedy (Minor): Building something like this is going to take a load of bread to capitalize...where’m I gonna get the money?!
Habit (Minor): Too hyperactive!

“What the hell is dimensional resonance?” Sierra asked. “It’s just fire.” She reached out and the fire died almost immediately, including Deezy’s fire. She cupped flames in her hand and stared at it. “And I told you I’m not a demon!”

Tale Teller: Your hero must tell a story of his group’s deeds to an audience of some sort (roleplay this) and make a Persuasion roll. If successful, the listeners become friendly and helpful to the entire party.

Parley: All characters cease fighting and listen to the hero speak for at least 30 seconds. Others may only take defensive actions during this time. This has no effect on beasts and other creatures that cannot understand the speaker.

Kuikku steps between the two dangerous women. "We can talk about the weirdness later, if needed. The important thing is the signatures are different. At the trial tomorrow we can have Deezy burn something, not Ford, and then he can use his own devices to read the remains. This should be enough to get the aquitial and we can move on to our real mission."

Kuikku steps between the two dangerous women. "We can talk about the weirdness later, if needed. The important thing is the signatures are different. At the trial tomorrow we can have Deezy burn something, not Ford, and then he can use his own devices to read the remains. This should be enough to get the aquitial and we can move on to our real mission."

Jareb shakes his head slowly doubtful the mortals will play fair. ” No... Something else it at play here Kuikku. Something out of my sight for now. But... Tomorrow will set the tone in this village and swamp for years to come. The mission has been altered.”

"Oh, I am sure Ford will change the rules as much as he can. I suspect he has no direct connection with Lincoln at all. He is just using that death as an opportunity to expand his influence, and maybe even his power. Think of what advantage he would have if everyone in the swamp, not just this town, owed some debt to the Underground, through him. It would make it much harder for the Tomorrow Legion to help establish a fair rule of law if they have their own rules already established."

Kuikku goes over to the dino and pats its head. "And I am sure our mission changed as soon as we were attacked in Memphis. The only thing that really has stayed the same is we need to wipe out this cult in the castle if we can. Everything else is just us spreading the good will of the Legion."

"I KNOW! That's what I said! At FIRST I thought it was a demon resonance, but now that I see your fire, I'm RETHINKING that! Gosh! WORDS!" She pantomimes things flying out of her mouth. "They mean things."

"Anyway! Whatever did this might be similar to you. Got any stalkers from the same dimension you're from?"

Hindrances
Overconfident (Major): Never give up...NEVER SURRENDER!
Greedy (Minor): Building something like this is going to take a load of bread to capitalize...where’m I gonna get the money?!
Habit (Minor): Too hyperactive!

Kuikku frowns. "Um, Deezy, she is human, from Whykin. She was born on this planet, in this dimension. She has some unusual natural abilities but not that unusual. I have known several fire throwers, commonly called bursters. Some can trace their ancestry to other dimensions but there have been plenty of Earth humans as well."

Sierra stared at Deezy. “You know what? I’m done!” she said, throwing her hands up. “I don’t know what the hell you saw, Dorothy,” Sierra said, using the girl’s given name like an insult. Okay, so she was being petty. “But I’m not some demon. I’m not from some other dimension. And I don’t need to stand here and take this!” Fire was flickering in Sierra’s hair and along her arms now. She turned around an stalked off, muttering, “God, I need a drink…”

Tale Teller: Your hero must tell a story of his group’s deeds to an audience of some sort (roleplay this) and make a Persuasion roll. If successful, the listeners become friendly and helpful to the entire party.

Parley: All characters cease fighting and listen to the hero speak for at least 30 seconds. Others may only take defensive actions during this time. This has no effect on beasts and other creatures that cannot understand the speaker.

Conrad had stayed quiet until Sierra storms off, processing the information and letting her go. Well, this muddies everything up.

"Deezy," he asks quietly, "what exactly are we talking about here? Are you saying that Sierra is a dbee or is she something else? She may consider herself human but finding out that you might be something else is a bit of a shock."

"Or she may be part dbee. I don't know a lot about her background but I think her father took off before she was born. Maybe he was a dbee and her powers came from him." Kuikku pauses. "Saying that outloud sounds a bit far fetched. Ignore that. She is human. That is the important part to remember."

"I never said she wasn't HUMAN!" Deezy complained. "I just went out of my way to clarify she's not a demon!"

"UGH! Problem customers, am I right?"

She looked and Conrad and shrugged. "Her fire's not like any 'burster' fire I've seen. It's not just a psychic effect... Either she's got roots from another dimension, or her powers do. And the killer's got pretty much the same signature, even if there's enough variation to suggest she's not the same person."

"That's all I got though! I'm a SCIENTIST! I deal in FACTS, not DRAMA!"

Hindrances
Overconfident (Major): Never give up...NEVER SURRENDER!
Greedy (Minor): Building something like this is going to take a load of bread to capitalize...where’m I gonna get the money?!
Habit (Minor): Too hyperactive!

Kuikku looks to be sure Sierra is gone. "Don't tell her this, I like my hair the way it is, but I think drama and Sierra go together. Not that she starts it but for some reason it always comes up." He then grins and heads back to town.

"So not a normal burster, but something very similar chummer." Conrad scrunches up his face as he considers the possibilities, ignoring Deezy's histrionics. he focuses on the problem from an engineering point of view.

"I wonder if we can calibrate the sensors to find this particular signature? If they look similar to Sierra, we aren't going to find them by using the mark one eyeball."

Deezy shrugs. "I mean, I have it recorded so sure. But you can't see parapsychic energy on a normal sensor, you know? I could try to rig something up, I guess. Actually...heck, yeah, I still have a spare t-counter lying around somewhere. But it won't be as easy as just 'recalibrating.' I'll have to make some sensors myself...and they'll need people who can use tech-wizard gear to operate."

Hindrances
Overconfident (Major): Never give up...NEVER SURRENDER!
Greedy (Minor): Building something like this is going to take a load of bread to capitalize...where’m I gonna get the money?!
Habit (Minor): Too hyperactive!